Farm leaders have introduced a new All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) aimed at helping MPs and peers understand the significance of British food security.

The APPG for Food Security, launched by major industry organisations, will focus on advocating for the eggs, pigs, and poultry sectors within parliament.

Recognising the connection between food security and national security, the group intends to emphasise these sectors' vital role in feeding the country.

APPGs are informal cross-party groups that concentrate on specific policy areas or geographic issues.

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Though they lack formal parliamentary status, most MPs are involved in APPGs, which serve as valuable platforms for external organisations to engage with interested MPs and peers.

The National Farmers' Union (NFU), British Poultry Council, British Egg Industry Council, and National Pig Association (NPA) established the group on the recent Back British Farming Day.

This initiative follows a challenging year for the industry, marked by a decline in farmer confidence due to record inflation, drops in farm income, and extreme weather patterns linked to climate change.

A spokesperson for the NPA said the new group would tackle the challenges and opportunities confronting food producers across the UK.

They said: “We discussed our vision and desired outcome for the group over the year, where members expressed a desire not only to highlight the acute issues facing farmers, but also the factors effecting the food supply chain more broadly, those which ultimately impact our country's food security.

"Some of the topics discussed included biosecurity and borders, climate change, access to skilled staff and vets in abattoirs, all matters which are very important within the pig industry.

"The next steps for the group are for us to agree a work programme for the year ahead with the officers and start planning a roster of APPG events."

This comes as the NFU recently urged the Labour government to increase the agricultural budget to £5.6b.

The union emphasised that a larger budget is ‘essential’ to provide farmers with the confidence they ‘desperately need’ to invest in their future.